Hackney-based visual arts charity Autograph has received the entire photographic estate of Jamaican-British photographer Armet Francis, a major gift that brings more than 70,000 images into their permanent photography collection. The archive includes iconic works such as fashion shoots in Brixton Market from 1973, portraits of Bob Marley, and Francis's seminal series the Black Triangle (1969-81).
Details of the Acquisition
The donation encompasses negatives, prints, and contact sheets spanning Francis's career from the 1960s to the 2000s. Highlights include fashion commissions for 19 Magazine, documentation of Notting Hill Carnival, and the 1994 series Lambeth and Brixton Tube, commissioned by Autograph. Francis's work captures black British life, style, and activism, with a focus on joy and resilience.
Impact and Significance
Autograph director Mark Sealy described the gift as 'a transformative addition to our collection, ensuring Francis's vision of black experience is preserved for future generations.' Francis himself noted, 'There was no history of black photographers in England. I decided to make Black images, to capture how black people perform in a certain vernacular, with certain experiences and histories, with all its social and political implications.'
